The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Asset management within distributed network systems can be quite difficult for several reasons. A data center facility might host equipment owned by multiple third parties. For example, in a co-location data center, a customer leases a small portion of space within the data center, usually in a caged-off area or within a cabinet or rack. Typically, this requires separation of equipment owned by different customers, which can result in an inefficient use of space, power, cooling, and other data center resources.
Asset management from the customer's perspective can be difficult when assets are distributed across multiple data centers. For example, risk mitigation strategies include distributing equipment over multiple geographically disperse data centers in order to minimize disruptions due to power loss, natural disasters, and theft.
Virtualization of functionality can be spread among across multiple units so that it can be difficult to identify where virtualized constructs (e.g., virtual machines (VMs), etc.) are physically located. In some instances in which virtualized services and/or resources are leased, it would be desirable to ensure that adequate hardware exists to provide the leased services and/or resources. In some applications, it can be useful to track such hardware resources.
Equipment can be quite expensive, so having redundant devices in a single facility is not always economically practical. Replacement units or spares might be located over large geographic distances (e.g., >100 Km) at other facilities. Thus, it can be useful to better manage and track redundant devices, including replacement units and units in transit.
Accordingly, asset management of devices distributed throughout a data center or across multiple data centers can be improved via the use of virtualization tools that provide for improved situational awareness, monitoring, tracking, and operation of devices. These and other needs in the field are addressed by aspects of the disclosure.
All publications identified herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
In some aspects of the disclosure, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients, properties such as concentration, reaction conditions, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the inventive subject matter are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about.” Accordingly, in some aspects of the disclosure, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some aspects of the disclosure, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some aspects of the disclosure are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable. The numerical values presented in some aspects of the disclosure may contain certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
Unless the context dictates the contrary, all ranges set forth herein should be interpreted as being inclusive of their endpoints and open-ended ranges should be interpreted to include only commercially practical values. Similarly, all lists of values should be considered as inclusive of intermediate values unless the context indicates the contrary.
As used in the description herein and throughout the claims that follow, the meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” includes plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Also, as used in the description herein, the meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on” unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
The recitation of ranges of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided with respect to certain embodiments herein is intended merely to better illuminate the inventive subject matter and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the inventive subject matter otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element essential to the practice of the inventive subject matter.
Groupings of alternative elements or embodiments of the inventive subject matter disclosed herein are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member can be referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with other members of the group or other elements found herein. One or more members of a group can be included in, or deleted from, a group for reasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion or deletion occurs, the specification is herein deemed to contain the group as modified, thus fulfilling the written description of all Markush groups used in the appended claims.